Driver was doing 94 on 60mph dual road

Andrew Keys from Fintona pleaded guilty to a charge of excess speed after police clocked him doing 94mph on the A4 dual carriageway between Ballygawley and Augher.

The 28-year-old farmer appeared at East Tyrone Magistrates Court on Wednesday, January 4 to hear his defence admit “his speed was unacceptable”.

Stopped by police on the A4 at around 8pm on November 2, last year, prosecution said he told officers at the time: “I know I was wrong.”

His defence barrister raised the number of speeding cases that had recently come before Judge Meehan in relation to that particular stretch of road, before revealing that his client had previously held three points on his licence.

He went to say Keys was a farmer with sheep and beef cattle herds, whose ability to drive was “essential” to his job as he often had to transport animals to places such as the market or vets.

“I said to him he should have been aware that he travelled at that speed,” Mr Nugent said, adding that he did “not believe any other road users were inconvenienced”.

District Judge John Meehan imposed five points on Key’s licence and ordered him to pay fines totalling £315.

At the same sitting in court, 36-year-old John Ritchie from Carra Road, Newtownbutler was disqualified from driving for one month and fined £365 after being stopped without a licence or L plates on his way to Clogher Farmer’s Market.